What if?
by fanwriter1245
Summary: What if Quasimodo wasn't alone up in the bell tower? What if Esmeralda had a new sidekick? What if Frollo's rage and lust wasn't directed at just one person? What if there was another character in the whole story? The Hunchback of Notre Dame-with a twist! QuasimodoXOC Rated K plus for violence and the freaky feelings from Frollo.
1. The Arrival

In the huge Notre-Dame cathedral, the mighty bells sang out their beautiful song conducted by none other than the hunchback bell-ringer. The Archdeacon was lighting the candles to prepare for the night that was approaching fast when there was a bang on the door. He went to go open the highly detailed entrance, and a girl around the age of nineteen sprinted inside the church, wearing extremely dirty clothes. She had dirt smudged on her face in various places. Her luscious brown hair was incredibly straight in some places and completely blown about in other places. She looked terrified and she was trembling something fierce. He couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from outright fear.

"My child, are you alright?"

She looked at him with that wild fear in her eyes and passed out onto the floor. The Archdeacon ran over to her as did other monks in the cathedral who were nearby.

The fear was still plastered onto her face, even in unconsciousness. He wondered what could possibly have made her so terrified.

"We'll take her up to the bell tower. She will be well cared for there."

Judge Claude Frollo came down from the bell tower having just finished his meal with his adopted son, Quasimodo.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in a way that sounded like he didn't really care at all.

"She seems to have swooned, but she's fine," the Archdeacon replied.

Frollo left without another glance at the girl. The Archdeacon took her and carried her up all the stairs all the way to the high bell tower.

"Quasimodo!" he called out.

The red-haired young man appeared before him.

"This girl needs a place to stay for the time being and I knew she would do well up here. Look after her and let me know when she has awakened."

He gently handed the girl over to Quasimodo's tender arms and left to go prepare the cathedral once more.

Quasimodo looked at the girl in his arms, fast asleep. She was so beautiful, even though dirt caked her entire form. She was direly in need of a cleaning and a new dress. He took her over to where he slept and laid her there. There wasn't much, not even a bed, but simply a makeshift one made out of little pillows the Archdeacon had given him as a boy.

He looked at her again, taking in the fact that someone besides Frollo and the Archdeacon was up here with him.


	2. Out There

The girl moaned softly and Quasimodo ran over to her. Her eyes opened slowly in the opposite direction and she rubbed her head which ached from banging on the hard floor of the cathedral.

"Are you alright?" a soft, tender voice asked.

Her head whipped to the other side and she saw the deformed face of a hunched over man. She gasped and tried to back away. The man hid his face in his arms and ran off.

"No, wait!" the girl called after him. She got up slowly, head still pounding, and tried to go in the direction he had gone. He turned around and she saw his face once more. His left eye was smushed down, his nose was smushed up, his teeth were irregular in all sorts of ways, and his whole face seemed like it had been pushed in. He wasn't appealing to the eye, but that voice of his was so beautiful. He had such a shy demeanor about him that she was sorry about the way she reacted.

"What is your name?"

"Quasimodo," he answered quietly.

"I'm…Juliet."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you. That's the first time I've ever heard that."

"You-you should go downstairs. The Archdeacon will want to know that you're awake."

"Okay, I'll, um, do that."

She turned and headed down the many stairs, his quiet being still in her mind.

"My dear child, I'm glad to see you are well!" the Archdeacon's warm voice called out to her.

"I'm sorry to disturb you and this beautiful church last night."

"Here, all are welcome. There's a place in the back room for you to wash up and there's a new dress for you as well."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"What is your name, dear?"

"Juliet."

"Well, Juliet, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"Thank you, sir."

Juliet left to go clean off all the dirt on her face and get out of her nasty clothes. The dress that awaited her was a plain blue and brown one with a white undershirt. It wasn't much at all, but to Juliet, it was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen.

She finished cleaning up and making her hair as straight and luscious as possible with it parted to the left side just the way she liked it and came out towards the entrance. She then saw a man dressed in a dark robe with an official-looking hat on. He looked at her almost with disgust, like she was vermin he didn't need to deal with. He was carrying a small basket with a little food and drink in it and he headed up to the bell tower.

_What's he doing going up there? _she wondered. But she knew it wasn't her place to pry. So instead she went out the door and walked among the people of the streets. Everything was so festive and people's spirits were high. She wondered what was happening that was making everyone so joyful.

Juliet looked back at the cathedral and noticed the scary man coming out of it. She decided to head back in and ask Quasimodo who that was.

As she headed higher and higher up the cathedral into the bell tower, she heard singing:

_Out there, living in the sun!_

_Give me one day out there_

_All I ask is one to hold forever_

_Out there where they all live unaware_

_What I'd give_

_What I'd dare_

_Just to live one day out there!_

She followed the voice and found Quasimodo peering over the edge of the wall that was up against one of the sides of the cathedral.

He looked out at all the people in the village and sang about how he wished they knew him as he knew them. He hopped all over the various places of the cathedral in a graceful manner that Juliet wished she had.

He ended his song on a gorgeous note that echoed throughout the cathedral. Juliet smiled as he hopped down from the bridge that brought the two bell towers together.

"That was an amazing song," she said.

"Oh! I-I didn't realize anyone was listening!" he stammered.

"You have a really good voice." Quasimodo refused to meet her eyes. "I wanted to ask you about a man who came to see you. Who was he?"

"My master, Frollo. He saved me when I was abandoned as a child."

She looked at him, sadly understanding why someone would want to throw out someone who looked like him.

"He seems…pleasant," she tried to say, but there was no way she could say it with a straight face.

"He can be strict, but he is good to me."

"Well, I'll see you later. I just wanted to talk a little, but I should be going."

"Juliet!" he called.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"That's a very pretty dress."

She smiled and headed back down the many stairs and out into the streets once more.


	3. Topsy-Turvy (gone wrong!)

She noticed a group of people dancing and playing instruments. One girl was playing the tambourine along with her dancing. She wore a purple two-layer skirt with gold colored tassels attached to it and a white undershirt with a bodice around her waist. She had dark hair that was beautifully thick and a pink headband that stood out among it. Her dancing was amazing and as graceful as she was.

Juliet noticed two soldiers approaching and the people tried to get away as fast as possible. Before the pretty girl could get away, the soldiers grabbed her. She kicked them and ran away as a blonde man dressed in a blue robe and yellow armor stopped them from progressing any further. Juliet couldn't help but laugh when the man commanded his horse to sit on one of the soldiers.

She walked away and continued to look at many shops in the town even though she had no money.

She lost track of time and before she knew it she heard more singing:

_Once a year we throw a party here in town_

_Once a year we turn all Paris upside down_

_Every man's a king and every king's a clown_

_Once again, it's Topsy-Turvy day!_

She laughed at all the silly displays that were led by a man with a purple mask on and a blue hat that hid his straight black hair. He wore a multi-colored outfit of yellow, purple, pink, and blue. His attitude made everyone around him perk up and desire to join in on all the fun.

Juliet looked around and saw the scary man, or Frollo, perched upon a chair that was shielded by a curtain around it as the blonde man from before stood close by.

The multi-colored man jumped up onto the stage set in the middle of the square and disappeared in a puff of red smoke. When the smoke cleared, the woman Juliet had seen dancing before appeared, but she was now wearing a tight-fitting red dress and a golden tiara. She danced even more flirtatiously than before and at one point even threw one lucky person in the audience a wink!

The girl then danced over to Frollo and leaned close to him, and looked like she was about to kiss him, but instead left her purple scarf around his neck and pushed his hat down over his eyes.

Juliet giggled at the actions the girl bravely took. The girl ended her exotic dance and then the song resumed.

_Here it is! The moment you've been waiting for!_

The girl pulled different people up onstage and went down the line, removing masks to reveal people trying to make an ugly face beneath in order to be crowned the King of Fools! As she got towards the end of the line, Juliet noticed with horror that Quasimodo was up on the stage!

"No!" she cried out. The girl got to him and pulled his face, expecting a mask to come off, but none did.

The crowd gasped as they realized who the man with the horribly deformed face was. Juliet looked at everyone's shocked faces and was about to go on the stage to defend him when the man in the multi-colored outfit hopped up on the stage and placed a crown on him and put him in a chair that was carried above the crowd.

At one point, he met Juliet's eyes and smiled and waved at her. She gave a half-hearted smile and a small wave back, not understanding his joy. He was being celebrated for having the ugliest face in Paris. That didn't seem like such a great thing.

He was placed down on another stage and a purple robe was placed on him. The crowd was chanting his name, but Juliet found that she could not join in.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a tomato flew up and hit Quasimodo on his right cheek. Another tomato hit his face and soon all kinds of food were being thrown at him.

Just when Juliet thought it couldn't get any worse, ropes started being thrown at him and he was tied down to a wheel on the stage. Juliet ran up to the stage and tried to go up to him, but two people in the crowd held her back, wanting this "fun" to continue.

"Let me go!" she cried as she struggled against them and tried to break free, but their grip was too strong.

The wheel started to turn as food continued to pelt him.

"Master! Master, please, help me!" he called out to Frollo.

Juliet looked at the man and saw that he simply turned away from him. She didn't think she could take anymore when the crowd went silent. The dancing girl was walking up on stage. She went up to him and Juliet could hear her say softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen." She took off the top layer of her skirt and wiped some of the fruit off his face. Juliet saw her chance and broke away from the crowd and ran up to him. Tears formed in her eyes as she placed her left hand on the side of his face.

"You there!" a stern voice called out over the crowd. Both Juliet and the girl turned and saw Frollo's cruel eyes staring at them. "Get down at once!"

"Yes, Your Honor," the girl replied, tying her skirt back on. "Just as soon as I free this poor creature!"

"I forbid it!"

At that, the girl took a knife out from under her skirt and cut Quasimodo's bindings. The crowd gasped as Frollo's voice rang out again, "How dare you defy me!"

Juliet started untying the ropes that restrained his hands while the girl proceeded to scold Frollo.

"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people!" she yelled. Juliet admired her bravery. "You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help!"

"Silence!" Frollo demanded.

The girl held the knife up in the air and yelled, "JUSTICE!"

She and Juliet helped Quasimodo stand up on the wheel.

"Mark my words, you both will pay for this insolence!"

Juliet could not take this anymore. "You're the insolent one!" she cried. "Shouldn't you have been the first to help him when he called out for you, his 'Master'?"

"Enough!"

"It appears we've crowned the wrong fool," the girl said, giving a little bow. "The only fool I see is you!" She threw Quasimodo's crown at Frollo's feet.

"Captain Phoebus, arrest them!" Frollo commanded. So that was his name: Phoebus!

Soldiers moved in on the pair. "So let's see," the girl said and she began to count the number of soldiers approaching. "So there's ten of you and one of me. What's a poor girl to do?" She took a handkerchief from her shirt and began to weep but then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Quasimodo and Juliet alone on stage.

"Witchcraft!" Frollo exclaimed. Juliet rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Oh, boys!" the girl's voice called. The soldiers ran over to her while one remained on the stage in an attempt to arrest Juliet.

Juliet sighed. "Oh, I have had it!" She kicked the soldier in the gut then elbowed his face. He bent over and she slammed her arms on his back. He crumpled on the ground and she gave one final kick to his face. She threw Quasimodo one last glance that screamed to him, "I want to stay with you, but I have to not be arrested first!" and took off.

The dancing girl disappeared once more but did not reappear.

"Find them, Captain! I want them alive!" Frollo commanded.

"Yes, sir. Seal off the area, men. Find the two girls, and do not harm them!"

Juliet stayed hidden as she watched Quasimodo come face-to-face with Frollo. Frollo gave him a look that would haunt Juliet's dreams for years to come. "I'm sorry, Master. I will never disobey you again," Quasimodo said miserably.

She watched as he stumbled back into the cathedral with the audience keeping their distance from him. Juliet felt a tear slip down her cheek and fall down to the ground in time with the soft rain.


	4. God Help the Outcasts

Juliet took a small piece of fabric and wrapped it around her like a cloak in order to shield herself from the soldiers and make it back into the cathedral where she knew she would be safe. Luckily, the cathedral's entrance was not far from where she stood and she made it in unseen. She threw the cloak off as it landed softly to the ground. Every part of her wanted to go up to the bell tower and check on Quasimodo and be with him after such an ordeal, but she couldn't. All of the memories and emotions of the past hour came back to her at once and she started sobbing. She leaned against the door and sank down, crumbling into a crying heap.

Suddenly, she felt the door open and she fell backwards.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Juliet turned and saw the dancing girl hidden by a blue cover-up, looking like an old man with her goat part of the disguise. Juliet turned and wiped her face, trying not to reveal that she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Juliet answered turning back around. "It just hasn't been the best afternoon."

"You can say that again. Thanks for helping me defend that boy."

They started to walk further into the cathedral. "I would've gone up there earlier if people hadn't held me back. And now Frollo and his soldiers are after us."

They fell quiet, when suddenly the girl whipped around and took the sword from the soldier, or Phoebus, who had followed her in, and he fell to the ground.

"You!" the girl cried, pointing the sword at him.

Juliet backed away from them. She knew that she probably didn't want to get in the middle of a scene between these two.

"Easy, easy!" Phoebus said. "I just shaved this morning!"

"Oh, really? You missed a spot!"

"All right, all right. Just calm down. Just give me a chance to apologize."

"For what?"

At that moment, Phoebus grabbed the sword and pushed her down on the ground. "That, for example."

"You sneaky son of a—"

"Ah, ah, ah! Watch it—you're in a church."

Juliet's mouth dropped at the near use of profanity in a holy place. The girl picked up a staff with candles on top and swung it at him. "Are you always this charming, or I am just lucky?"

They proceeded to knock the weapons against each other as Phoebus tried to lighten the mood. "Candlelight, privacy, music. Can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat!" They fought some more and then he added, "You fight almost as well as a man!"

Was that an insult?

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you!" the girl retaliated. Juliet raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"That's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?" Phoebus asked.

"No, this is!" The girl swung the staff at a place where men should NOT be hit, but Phoebus blocked it with his sword. So the girl swung the other end up and hit him in the head.

"Touché!" he said.

Juliet laughed. They both looked at her. "She got you good on that one!" she said as she walked over.

The girl's goat rammed Phoebus in the chest, but it didn't look like it hurt too much because of his armor.

"I didn't know you had a kid," he groaned.

"He doesn't take kindly to soldiers," the girl replied.

"Does anyone?" Juliet added.

"Good point," the girl said.

"Uh, permit me," Phoebus said. "I'm Phoebus. It means 'sun god.'"

Juliet and the girl looked at each other with an "I-can't-believe-he's-really-saying-this" look.

"And you are?" he said, motioning to both of them.

"Is this an interrogation?" the girl asked.

"It's called an introduction."

"You're not arresting us?"

"Not as long as you're both in here. I can't."

The girl put the staff in an upright position. "You're not at all like the other soldiers."

"Thank you."

"So if you're not going to arrest us, what do you want?"

"I'd settle for your names."

Juliet stopped smiling. Should she give her name to a soldier? Couldn't he just report her? Well, if they got this far, and he hadn't arrested either of them, she decided it was safe. "My name's Juliet," she said.

"Esmeralda," the girl added.

"Beautiful names. Much better than Phoebus, anyway."

Phoebus and Esmeralda looked at each other. Juliet's eyebrows rose again as she noticed the developing chemistry.

Each one turned at the sound of the heavy cathedral door opening. Guards stood at the door as Frollo entered. "Good work, Captain! Now arrest them!"

Phoebus looked at Esmeralda and Juliet and whispered, "Claim sanctuary."

Esmeralda looked at him angrily. Juliet's face paralyzed with fear. This man did not like either of them and she didn't want to imagine what he could do to them.

"Say it!" Phoebus snapped.

"You tricked me," Esmeralda growled.

"I'm waiting, Captain!" Frollo said.

Phoebus turned to face him. "I'm sorry, sir. They claim sanctuary. There's nothing I can do."

"Well then drag them outside and—"

"Frollo!" the Archdeacon's voice interrupted. "You will not touch them!" Juliet sighed at the sight of him, glad to know that he would help them and keep them safe from Frollo's clutches. "Don't worry. Minister Frollo learned years ago to respect the sanctity of the church." Frollo glared angrily at him. Juliet couldn't help but wonder what event had taken place to bring him to his knees. He motioned for the guards to leave and they all left. Juliet relaxed, realizing her shoulders had been tensed up. The Archdeacon escorted Phoebus out of the church. Esmeralda's goat assisted in shoving him out the door.

The two girls chuckled when Esmeralda gasped and she heard Frollo practically whispering, "You think you've outwitted me, but I am a patient man, and gypsies don't do well inside stone walls." Juliet turned and saw that Frollo was holding her arm tightly behind her back and leaning his head into her neck. She turned to get help, but he grabbed her wrist and flung her on the ground. She looked back up at him and saw him smelling her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked defiantly.

"I was just imagining a rope around that beautiful neck."

Esmeralda twisted out of his grip and faced him. "I know what you were imagining," she said as she helped Juliet off the floor.

"Such a clever witch," he purred. "So typical of your kind to twist the truth to cloud the mind with unholy thoughts."

"She's the one having unholy thoughts?" Juliet snapped.

Frollo looked at her with a look in his eyes that sent goosebumps on her skin. "I'll not have any more interferences from you!" The way he said that made her hair stand on end. Almost like he didn't mean what he said, but felt the same way about Esmeralda and her equally; and those feelings were not pretty. He calmed himself and began walking to the door. "Well, no matter. You've chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison nonetheless. Set one foot outside, and you are both mine!"

He closed the door and Esmeralda ran up to it. When she opened it, Juliet heard a voice call out, "Frollo's orders! Post a guard at every door!" Esmeralda slammed the door shut again and sank down against it.

Juliet walked up to her. "One thing, Juliet. If Frollo thinks he can keep us here, he's wrong." Juliet smiled at her determination.

"Don't act rashly, child," the Archdeacon said as he lit some candles. "You both created quite a stir at the festival. It would be unwise to arouse Frollo's anger further."

"You saw what he did out there. Letting the crowd torture that poor boy?"

"She's right," Juliet said. "Isn't Frollo supposed to be the one taking care of him? Why didn't he help him?"

"I thought if just one or two people could stand up to him, then…" She sighed. "What do they have against people who are different anyway?"

"They just don't understand what they can't explain," Juliet said.

"You can't right all the wrongs in this world by yourselves," the Archdeacon told them.

"Well, no out there's going to help, that's for sure."

"Maybe, there's someone in here who can." He motioned to the cathedral and left the pair alone. They looked at the number of people on their knees praying to God.

Juliet listened as Esmeralda began to sing:

_I don't know if You can hear me_

_Or if You're even there_

_I don't know if You would listen_

_To a gypsy's prayer_

She had a beautiful voice as she continued to sing asking God to help the outcasts, like her and Quasimodo and the other gypsies. She and Juliet walked through the cathedral and other people in the church joined in the song asking for God to bless them. Juliet began to sing:

_I ask for nothing_

_I can get by_

_But I know so many_

_Less lucky than I_

Esmeralda looked at her and smiled and sang again:

_Please help my people_

_The poor and down trod_

Juliet sang to her:

_I thought we all were children of God_

They looked at each other and sang together in harmony:

_God help the outcasts_

_Children of God!_

They looked up at the stained glass picture high up as they were bathed in the sunlight that flooded through. The two girls smiled and shared a light hug.


	5. Heaven's Light

"You! Bell ringer! What are you doing down here?" an angry voice called out. Juliet spun around and saw Quasimodo hiding behind a pillar, evidently watching the two girls. The poor boy knocked over a set of candles in his surprise at having been caught.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

Juliet sighed. Wasn't this supposed to be the place where everyone was welcome, no matter how much they messed up? And he hadn't even been the one causing the trouble, but it was Frollo! If they should be angry at anyone, it should be him! Quasimodo ran away back up to the bell tower.

"Wait!" Esmeralda called running after him. "I want to talk to you!"

Juliet ran after her, hoping to help the two talk. After all, she knew Quasimodo would talk to her and as a result, she might be able to get him to meet someone new. Quasimodo kept running away from them, but she knew he couldn't run forever.

They finally caught up to him in the level below where he spent all his time. "Here you are!" Esmeralda said, catching her breath. "I was afraid I'd lost you!"

Quasimodo turned to face the two girls. "Yes. Um, well, I uh, I have chores to do. It was, uh, nice...seeing...you...again." He groaned in frustration at his stuttery speech, and Juliet smiled pitifully. He ran up the ladder that led to where he lived.

"No, wait!" Esmeralda called. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon. I had no idea who you were. I would never in my life have...pulled...you...up on the...stage."

Juliet smiled as Esmeralda realized all of the art projects Quasimodo had completed in his time here. "What is this place?"

"This is where I live," he answered.

"This is beautiful," she said, fingering the glass mobile. "If I could do this, you wouldn't find me dancing in the streets for coins."

"But you're a wonderful dancer."

"He certainly isn't lying about that!" Juliet said.

"Well, it keeps bread on the table, anyway." She looked at the piece of fabric covering a table. "What's this?"

"Oh, no, please oh, I'm not finished-I still have to paint them..."

"The blacksmith, and the baker!" She looked at the carvings that remained one solid wood color. She looked at another one that was finished. "Oh, and this one looks like Juliet!"

Juliet looked at the figurine. It did indeed look a lot like her in the new dress. She let out a small laugh, honored that Quasimodo made a figure of her.

"You're a surprising person, Quasimodo. Not to mention lucky. All this room to yourself."

"Well, it's not just me-there's the gargoyles, and of course the bells. Would you like to see them?"

Juliet felt a little jealous that he had never offered to show her the bells, but she guessed she hadn't really given him the time to do so.

"Yes, or course! How 'bout it, Djali?"

Ah, so Juliet finally learned the goat's name: Djali. Quasimodo led them to the various bells and Juliet loved the fact that he had given each of them names. After all, what else could he do up here alone?

Esmeralda let out a big "hello" that resonated richly under one huge bell.

"She likes you," Quasimodo said. "Would you like to see more?" He led them up to the balcony. "I've saved the best for last."

Juliet looked out across the balcony and saw the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen in her entire life.

"I bet the king himself doesn't have a view like this," Esmeralda remarked. "I could stay up here forever."

"You could, you know."

"No, I couldn't."

"Oh, yes! You have sanctuary."

"But not freedom. 'Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls.'"

Juliet's anger flooded back to her as she remembered the way Frollo had said that into Esmeralda's ear and how he basically confined them here.

"But you're not like other gypsies. They're…evil."

"Who told you that?" she asked as the three of them sat on the small rooftop next to the balcony.

"My master, Frollo. He raised me."

"How could such a cruel man have raised someone like you?"

"Cruel?!"

"Well he certainly isn't the nicest one in the city," Juliet said.

"Oh, no. He saved my life. He took me in when no one else would. I am a monster, you know."

"He told you that?"

"Look at me."

"Oh, Quasimodo," Juliet said. "Looks don't determine who a person is. Their heart does."

"Let me see your hand," Esmeralda said.

"Why?" Quasimodo asked, pulling away.

"Just let me see it." She looked at the lines in his hand and explained to him what a couple of them meant. However, she stopped and pondered what she didn't see.

"Well, that's funny."

"What?"

"I don't see any."

"Any what?"

"Monster lines. Not a single one."

"She's right. You are the kindest person I've ever met in my life. You're not a monster," Juliet told him.

"You look at me," Esmeralda said, offering her hand. "Do you think I'm evil?"

"NO!" he shouted, taking her hand. "No, no! You are kind, and good, and—"

"—and a gypsy," she finished for him. "And maybe Frollo's wrong about the both of us."

Esmeralda got up and went back over to the balcony as Juliet and Quasimodo watched her. They then got up as well and went over to her.

"You helped me. Now I will help you," Quasimodo said.

"But there's no way out. There's soldiers at every door!"

"We won't use a door," he answered almost slyly.

"You mean climb down?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Sure! You carry him, I carry you!"

"What about her?"

Juliet looked at them, realizing she was being referred to. "Oh, no! I think I'll be of more help here than out there. Go without me."

Esmeralda looked at her, wanting her to have freedom as well. They shared a tight embrace, not knowing if or when they would ever see each other again.

"Okay. Come on, Djali." Her goat hopped into her arms and she tied a blindfold around his eyes.

Quasimodo picked her up and said, "Don't be afraid."

"Oh, I'm not afraid." Then they went over the edge. "Now I'm afraid!"

Juliet ran to the balcony and watched as Quasimodo hopped all over the cathedral and coming to some very close calls before landing safely down close to the ground. She smiled, knowing that her friends were safe.

She turned around and leaned against the balcony. Quasimodo seemed so happy and so loyal, even when practically the whole world was against him. She almost wished she could see things the way he did. His views were so unique.

She turned back around to look at the pair and saw Esmeralda taking off. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and saw Phoebus.

"Hi, I'm actually looking for you and the gypsy girl. Have you seen her?"

Juliet couldn't respond. After all, this was a soldier. Someone who wanted her and Esmeralda arrested.

"Have you?"

Before she could decide if she wanted to answer or not, Quasimodo appeared on the balcony, and he was not happy at the sight of the soldier, especially around Juliet. He pushed the soldier back towards the stairs.

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" the soldier cried in alarm.

Quasimodo took a torch from the wall and swung it at him. "No soldiers! Sanctuary! Get out!"

"No!" Juliet screamed.

"Wait! All I wanted was to—"

"GO!"

"I mean them no harm!"

Quasimodo growled. "GO!"

"Quasimodo, stop!" Juliet yelled. Phoebus grabbed his sword and knocked the torch out of Quasimodo's grasp, so he grabbed his shirt. She ran up to him and touched his shoulders. "Stop."

He looked at her with anger in his eyes, but it wasn't directed at her. Nonetheless, she felt a chill go up her spine.

"Tell her from me," the soldier said to both of them, "that I didn't mean to trap you both here, but it was the only way to save your lives. Will you tell her that?"

Neither one responded to his question.

"Will you?"

"Yes, we will," Juliet said. Anything to get him out of here. His presence made her extremely uncomfortable.

"If you go, now," Quasimodo added.

"I'll go. Now will you put me down, please?"

Juliet smiled as she realized that Quasimodo had been holding him well off the ground. He gently set him down and he turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing. Tell Esmeralda she's very lucky."

"Why?" Quasimodo asked.

"To have friends like you two." He turned on his heels again and left the pair alone.

"You certainly have a protective side," Juliet said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, uh—" he stammered. And quick as lightning, the shy side resurfaced. "Well, you know, I don't want either of you to get in trouble for helping me."

"I'd rather go to prison in a heartbeat for helping you than watch you suffer."

Juliet thought she noticed him blush, but she couldn't tell if she imagined it or not. They went back down to his "hideaway" and prepared for sleep.

"Thank you so much, Quasimodo, for allowing me to stay here and being so kind to me. I've never met anyone like you."

"It's nothing, really."

"I won't take your bed tonight. I'll just find another place to sleep."

"Oh, no. I don't mind! Please, I insist you sleep there."

"Okay. Well, um, good night." She gave him a little pat on the shoulder and left. She lied down on the pillows and turned onto her side with her hands beneath her head. Then she heard Quasimodo singing softly:

_So many times out there_

_I've watched a happy pair_

_Of lovers walking in the night._

_They had a kind of glow around them_

_It almost looked like Heaven's light._

She listened to that beautiful voice and almost got up to comfort him, but thought better of it. This was a private moment for him and she didn't want to disturb it.

_No face as hideous as my face_

_Was ever meant for Heaven's light._

Juliet almost started crying. She wished Quasimodo and the rest of the city could look past his exterior and see the kind soul within.

_But suddenly an angel has smiled at me_

_And kissed my cheek without a trace of fright!_

Esmeralda. Apparently, they had had quite a moment down there before she escaped. Juliet smiled a small smile and closed her eyes. She drifted to sleep listening to the beautiful bells he rang in happiness, having experienced the best night of his life.


	6. Juliet and Quasimodo

Juliet woke to the sound of her stomach growling. It was just then that she realized she hadn't eaten in quite a long time.

"Quasimodo?" she called out.

"Yeah?" he responded as his head popped out from behind one of the bells.

"Oh, I just wanted to know where you were."

"You must be hungry. I haven't got much, just some bread and a couple of grapes left over from when Master was here last."

"Oh, I don't want to take your food!"

"No, no, he'll be back with some more soon."

Juliet did not like the idea of seeing that man again. After all, he wanted her arrested and something about him just wasn't right. He was supposed to be a judge, but he didn't stop to help anyone. It seemed like he got a kick out of causing others pain. If he did end up coming here, she knew she had to get out of sight. Hopefully, that would not happen.

Quasimodo brought her the bread and grapes and she practically devoured them, not realizing how hungry she really was. "Thanks," she mumbled, embarrassed that he had seen her wolf that down. "I hope Esmeralda's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine. And she'll come back just like she promised."

"I hope so. She's a good friend. I want to see her again." There was a small silence before she added, "Where is Frollo now?"

"I'm not sure. Probably still looking for you two. Some guards came in here looking for you last night, but I hid you. They think that you've escaped with her."

"You…you did that for me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, it's just that…I mean…if Frollo found out…"

"I know, but I couldn't let them take you. You have sanctuary."

"Quasimodo, you are the best friend I have ever had. I can't believe you did something like that for me."

She looked at his replica of the city and noticed he had carved another figurine of Esmeralda. She walked over to it. "I see you have a new one."

"Yes, I—I just made it last night."

"It's so perfect. You have quite a talent."

"Thank you."

Juliet sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Quasimodo, I love it here. But I wish that both of us could just go outside. I want to be free."

"Why didn't you go with Esmeralda?"

"I didn't want to leave you by yourself again."

Quasimodo smiled and turned away. Juliet couldn't believe it. Was she falling for him? She couldn't. He loved Esmeralda. But she liked Phoebus. Someone was bound to get hurt in the end of this crazy triangle!

"Um, Quasimodo?" She walked slowly up to him a while later, twisting her hands nervously. "I want to see more of the bells."

"What?"

"Well, when you showed them to me and Esmeralda last night, I don't know, I…" She paused. This was really difficult. "I want to see more."

"Okay!" He seemed really enthusiastic that someone was taking an interest in his lonely life up here. He showed her more of the bells and all of the beautiful names he had given each one of them. They were his children and he was their father, always taking care of them.

"What else can you show me?"

"I can introduce you to my friends."

Juliet was confused. If he had friends up here, why did he seem so lonely? Hadn't Frollo forbid any human contact?

"This is Victor, Hugo, and Laverne."

Ah, they were gargoyles. That made sense. Who else was there to talk to up here?

"Hello," she waved. She giggled. This was kind of awkward, but it looked like it made him happy.

"I hope I didn't bore you."

"Of course not! I really wanted to see your life up here."

"What brought you here?"

Juliet looked at him. "It's a long story."

"We have nothing but time up here."

"Um, something happened with my parents." She paused. "Look, I'm just not ready to talk about it yet."

"It's okay. I understand. Problems with my mother brought me here. She abandoned me as a child. Frollo took me in and kept me here."

"I'm sorry."

"I can't blame her. I mean, look at me."

"I am looking at you. And I wish that you could see what I do."

He turned away from her, unwilling to answer.

Quasimodo went to go complete his chores, so Juliet wandered around for a little while then went to go get some air out onto the balconies. But what she saw was something from her nightmares. The sky was red and smoke was coming up into the air from every direction. She knew that Frollo was behind it. She stumbled back into the cathedral doors, unable to say anything.

"Quasimodo?" she croaked. He didn't hear her. Who could with that voice she just used? She leaned against a wooden post. What used to be a beautiful city was now in ruins.


	7. Frollo's Fury

She just stayed there for a while, frozen in fear at the sight of the red sky and the black smoke. "Quasimodo," she tried again. It was still that same croak, barely a whisper. She went to go find him, when she heard Esmeralda's voice.

"Quasi? Quasimodo?"

Juliet ran to the voice. She saw Esmeralda coming through the door and ran to her. After that sight, she needed some comfort and seeing her friend and knowing that she was safe seemed pretty good.

"Esmeralda? Esmeralda, you're alright! I knew you'd come back!" Quasimodo shouted, hugging her.

Juliet ran up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. She didn't want to let go for a while, knowing that this was a precious moment she had to cherish. "Juliet! You're okay, too!"

"Yes, Quasimodo kept me safe all this time. I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Oh, you both have done so much for me, but I must ask your help one more time."

"Yes, anything!" Quasimodo said.

Another gypsy man entered carrying Phoebus. He was unconscious and did not have his armor on. There was a huge wound on his left shoulder that was bleeding heavily.

"This is Phoebus. He's wounded and a fugitive now, like me and Juliet."

Whoa, what? Juliet's mind raced as she tried to think of how he could go from solider to fugitive in a matter of hours.

"He can't go on much longer. I knew he'd be safe here. Please, can you hide him?" Esmeralda pleaded.

"This way," Quasimodo said as he led them upstairs. He pointed to the "bed" Juliet had been sleeping on for the past couple of days.

As she and the other man laid him down, Juliet couldn't help asking, "What happened to him?"

"A family was about to be burned alive because they were accused of harboring gypsies on their property. The family was innocent, but nevertheless, the house was burned. He went in to save them and when he tried to escape, he was hit with some arrows."

Juliet couldn't breathe. It all came back to her. The screams, the tears, and all of the blood. So much blood. And fear. Pure fear. She leaned against the wooden post and sank down, her back to the couple. She felt her eyes grow moist and soon tears were streaming down her cheeks a mile a minute.

"Esmeralda," she heard Phoebus say as he came to.

"Shh, shh, shh. You'll hide here until you're strong enough to move."

She heard the sound of a cork popping off a bottle. "Good, I could use a drink," Phoebus said. He let out a deep scream as Esmeralda evidently poured the drink onto his wound to heal it. "Feels like a 1470 Burgundy. Not a good year."

"That family owes you their lives. You're either the single bravest soldier I've ever seen, or the craziest."

"Ex-soldier, remember? Why is it, whenever we meet, I end up bleeding?"

"You're lucky. That arrow almost pierced your heart."

"I'm not so sure it didn't."

Juliet, confused at that last sentence, turned to look and them and saw them gazing intently into each other's eyes. They moved closer and closer together until they were sharing a kiss. Juliet looked at Quasimodo, who wasn't far from where she sat and was watching from behind another post. He turned away and she saw tears come out of his eyes just as fast as they were coming out of hers. He took a card out and ripped it. When it fell to the floor, she saw that it had a heart on it that was now ripped in half. She knew someone was going to get hurt eventually.

Djali bleated, breaking the painful silence. Quasimodo looked out while Juliet frantically wiped her eyes, so no one asked her why she was upset.

"Frollo's coming!" he shouted. Oh, no. Juliet's heart started pounding. Just the mention of that name and knowing that he would be here any minute sent a chill that coursed throughout her entire body, making little goosebumps appear. "You must leave! Quick, follow me!"

They ran down the small set of steps as Quasimodo gave her instructions on where to go to evade Frollo. "Juliet, please come with me! I can't risk Frollo catching you!"

"You should go with her!" Quasimodo told her.

"No, I need to help him with Phoebus. I'll be fine, I promise."

Esmeralda grabbed her and hugged her tightly, neither one knowing what would happen in the next few minutes. "Be careful."

"I will."

"Promise you won't let anything happen to him?" she asked the two of them.

Quasimodo sighed. "I promise." Juliet looked at him. That was probably incredibly hard for him to say. He probably wanted to kill Phoebus at this point. But she admired him for helping Esmeralda, even when he didn't want to.

"Thank you," Esmeralda whispered as she disappeared down the long staircase.

"Quick!" Juliet said. "We've got to hide him!"

"And you!"

"Phoebus first!" They grabbed him and shoved him under the table with the replica of Paris on it. He gave him one final hard kick as he went under the table.

_Well, he probably deserved that, _Juliet thought.

"Get under!"

Juliet took a deep breath and crawled under the table close to Phoebus. The proximity made her really uncomfortable, especially since she never really liked him in the first place. Her heart thudded so loud against her chest, she swore that Frollo would be able to hear it. She took some deep breaths to try to slow it down. Quasimodo was frantically setting up the replica again when she heard Frollo's voice: "I'm never too busy to share a meal with you, dear boy. I brought a little treat."

Juliet noticed one of his feet slide under the table as he sat down at the side of it. She wanted to cry from the fear she was experiencing. She heard a dish breaking and knew that Quasimodo was just as nervous as she was.

"Something troubling you, Quasimodo?"

"Oh, no!"

"Oh, but there is. I know there is," he said calmly. A grape fell to the floor. When Quasimodo leaned over to pick it up she was able to see his petrified face and couldn't imagine how nervous he was compared to her.

"I think…you're hiding something."

_Stay strong, Quasimodo!_ she thought.

"Oh, no Master. There's nothing—"

"You're not eating, boy."

There was a pause, then he said with an obviously full mouth, "It's very good. Thank you."

Juliet heard with horror Phoebus groaning. She didn't know what to do to stop him. He obviously had no idea of the danger all three of them were in. She heard Quasimodo give a similar sound implying that he enjoyed the food. Phoebus groaned again, louder, and Juliet wanted to faint. Quasimodo started overdramatically coughing, and Phoebus was rewarded with a huge kick to the head to shut him up. Juliet would've laughed if she hadn't been in such a position.

"Seeds," she heard Quasimodo say when he finished fake-coughing.

"What's different in here?" Frollo said.

"Nothing…sir," he replied, his voice starting to shake.

"Aren't these new? They're awfully good. Looks very much like the gypsy girl and her friend." That was not good. "I know you helped her ESCAPE!" Frollo screamed, landing a hard fist down on the table. Juliet covered her mouth to prevent the squeak that threatened to come out. "And now all of Paris is burning because of you!"

"They were kind to me, Master!"

"You idiot!" He pushed all of the hand-made buildings and figures on the ground and she watched as all of creations that he must've spent hours on were smashed and crushed. "That wasn't kindness, that was cunning! She's a gypsy! And the other one is no better! They are not capable of real love!"

What did he know about real love? She was willing to bet that his own mother didn't even love him. Maybe that's what made him so hard-hearted. She hugged her knees to her chest and tried to slow her breathing. Her heart was starting back up again and she was worried she might pass out if she didn't slow it. She was concentrating so hard on slowing her heartbeat that she didn't notice that Phoebus was now conscious. She let out a small gasp as he touched her reassuringly on the hand. He put a finger to his lips. She nodded, but she couldn't believe he had the nerve to tell her to be quiet. He was the one who nearly gave them away! Well, he could just be trying to get her through this terrible situation.

"Think, boy! Think of your mother!" She heard Frollo gasping, catching his breath after such a rant. She heard him say in a much calmer voice, "But what chance could a poor, misshapen child like you have against their heathen treachery?" Oh sure, Esmeralda and Juliet were the ones being treacherous! He was the one verbally abusing him! "Well, never you mind, Quasimodo. They will be out of our lives soon enough." Juliet's blood turned to ice. She had underestimated Frollo. He really wanted to see their lives end. The Esmeralda figurine fell to the floor in flames. "I will free you from her evil spell. She and her friend will torment you no longer."

"What do you mean?" Quasimodo asked.

"I know where her hideout is, and no doubt that insolent friend of hers is with her. Tomorrow, at dawn, I attack with a thousand men." She thought he would never leave. The figurine of Juliet fell to the floor. Frollo kneeled down and she was certain that their cover was going to be blown. But he paid no attention to under the table. He took his dagger and sunk it all the way through into the figurine. "And no one will stop me."

She finally heard his footsteps walking down the stairs and breathed again. She realized that she had been holding her breath for who knows how long and her head started pounding.

Phoebus crawled out from under the table and Juliet followed. The fear inside her was still lingering at how close of a call that really was.

"Quasimodo, are you okay?" Juliet asked shakily.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, refusing to look at her.

"We have to get to the Court of Miracles before daybreak. If Frollo gets there first…" he trailed off, no one wanting to think about what would happen if Frollo arrived before the people were warned. "Are you coming with me?"

"I can't."

"I thought you were Esmeralda's friend."

"Frollo's my master. I can't disobey him again."

"She stood up for you! You have a funny way of showing gratitude."

"Hey, stop!" Juliet shouted. "Don't talk to him like that after what he just went through! He had to try to cover up for you when you almost gave us all away!" The two stared each other down.

"Well, I'm not going to sit by and watch Frollo massacre innocent people! Do what you think is right."

Ugh, what a hothead! That was no way to talk to someone after they sat through Frollo's rant! Begrudgingly, she had to admit he had a point. Frollo was going to kill all those people unless the threesome did something about it. She could see why Quasimodo didn't want to leave. Who would after suffering through that tirade? But Esmeralda and her people needed help.

"Quasimodo?"

He turned to her angrily. "Look, what am I supposed to do? Go out there and rescue the girl from the jaws of death, and the whole town will cheer like I'm some sort of hero? She already has her knight in shining armor, and it's not me." He sighed. Juliet could think of no response. "Frollo was right. Frollo was right about everything. I'm tired of trying to be something I'm not."

"Frollo was never right, Quasimodo. Almost everything he's said to you that I know of has been false."

"Juliet, that's not true."

"We have to save Esmeralda. I know you don't really like Phoebus and I can understand why. But don't let your anger against him stop you from doing the right thing."

Quasimodo still did not move or say anything.

"Look, remember the day we first met? I passed out downstairs and was brought up here. I came here because I was scared. Really scared." She paused and took a deep breath, unsure if she was ready to talk about the incident. "I used to live not very far from here. My parents harbored gypsies. They always felt sorry for them, seeing as they were outcasts and no one showed them any kindness. We had lots of gypsies come and go and little was ever stolen from us. But one day, they were caught. I was in my room, when I heard the sound of the door being broken down. I peeked out and saw that the gypsies staying with us were being taken away in chains and my parents were being held down on the floor."

Quasimodo turned to look at her. Juliet felt her eyes growing moist again and there was no way she could hide it this time.

"A soldier took a knife and killed them right before my eyes. Blood was everywhere. I managed to escape and I ran here because I knew that nothing could happen to me in here." She began to sob as the memory that was still so clearly etched in her brain came back to her.

Quasimodo stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to go and hug her or comfort her or what. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes.

"We can't let the same thing happen to all those people." She walked towards the stairs and noticed his cloak nearby that he'd used to hide at the festival. She gingerly took it and held it out to him expectantly. He slowly walked over and took it from her.

"Oh, I must be out of my mind," he said as he tied it around his neck and went out to the balcony. "Come on!" he called to her as he prepared to jump over the edge.

"Um, I think I'll just take the front door."

"Come on. It'll be quicker this way! Don't worry!"

Juliet looked over the edge. This was extremely high up. But he had carried Esmeralda and the goat down safely. It's not that she didn't trust him, it's just that the idea of climbing down was not high on her list. "Um, really, I think I'll just take the steps."

He looked at her with kind eyes. "Trust me. I won't let you fall."

She looked over the edge again. "All right," she finally agreed. He took her in his arms and jumped over the edge of the balcony. "Oh, wow," she breathed. "That's really high."

"Don't look down."

They safely got down close to the ground above the back door where Phoebus should've been coming out of any second. He set her down and when the door opened, he popped his head right in front of Phoebus's face.

"Phoebus!" Phoebus gave a little shout and held his chest, like he just had a heart attack. "We're coming with you," he said as he lowered Juliet and himself down to the ground.

"Glad to see you've changed your mind," he said with annoyance in his tone.

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for her." Yep, that was understandable. Though he didn't really need to announce that…

"You know where she is?" Phoebus asked.

"No, but she said this would help us find her." He took off a necklace around his neck that he had tucked under his shirt. Juliet wondered how long that had been there and why she hadn't noticed it.

"Good, good, good! Ah, great! What is it?"

"I'm not sure."

Juliet looked at it and she couldn't make anything out of it either.

"Hmm. Must be some sort of code. Maybe it's Arabic. No, no, it's not Arabic. Maybe it's ancient Greek..."

Then Juliet heard Quasimodo whisper, "When you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand."

"What?" she and Phoebus said simultaneously.

"It's the city!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a map!" He pointed to various places on the band. "See? Here's the cathedral, and the river, and this little stone must be…"

"I've never seen a map that looks like this!" Phoebus interrupted.

They started talking quietly over each other and Juliet could only make out a couple words here and there. But she knew one thing. They did not have time for this!

"Guys!" she whispered. They continued talking over each other, maybe even louder. "Guys!" Still talked over one another. "GUYS!"

They stopped talking, looked at her, and she gave them a look that said "we-are-supposed-to-be-saving-people!" They took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Alright, okay!" Phoebus said. "You say it's a map, fine, it's a map! If we're going to find Esmeralda, we have to work together. Truce?"

Juliet looked at Quasimodo. Phoebus had made a deal, now he had to roll with it.

"Well, okay!" he said as he slapped Phoebus hard on the back. Phoebus winced and groaned at the pain. Juliet stifled a giggle. "Sorry," Quasimodo said, pulling his hood over his face.

"No you're not," Phoebus answered. Juliet really did giggle that time. He was right, of course.


	8. Court of Miracles

The three ended up in a cemetery and found one headstone that had the symbol from the map on it. They were on the right track!

"Hmm, I can make out an inscription, but it's going to take me a while to translate it," Phoebus said, eyeing the strange words on the bottom of the headstone. Quasimodo didn't even glance at it, but just pushed the heavy lid off the coffin revealing a long set of stairs. "Yes, well, or we could just go down those stairs."

They slowly began their descent down into the underground layer. The place was lined with creepy skeletons and it smelled terrible.

"Is this the Court of Miracles?" Quasimodo asked.

"Offhand, I'd say it's the Court of Ankle-Deep-Sewage."

"Oh, man this is so gross!" Juliet said, lifting her dress above the water.

"Oh, it's not that bad!" Phoebus said.

"Easy for you to say! I have no shoes on!"

"Oh, would you like me to carry you?" Quasimodo asked her.

While she was flattered that he would do that for her, it would also be really awkward. "No, no, that's fine. I'll manage."

"Cheerful place," Phoebus mumbled. "Kinda makes you wish you got out more often, eh Quasi?"

"Not me. I just want to warn Esmeralda and get back to the bell tower before I get in any more trouble."

"Speaking of trouble, we should've run into some by now."

"What do you mean?"

"You're right," Juliet said, eyeing the place carefully, now nervous. "Like a guard…a booby trap…"

Phoebus's torch went out and she heard him finish her sentence in the utter blackness. "Or an ambush."

The place was once again a lit with several different torches held by the skeletons! Juliet looked up in fear at the many people dressed up in costumes to hide in plain sight in the catacombs to guard the Court of Miracles. They jumped down from their perch above the three, grabbed the trios' arms, and forced them onto their knees as they tied up their arms.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Juliet looked up and saw the man from the festival, but this time he had no mask on.

"Trespassers!" one gypsy yelled.

"Spies!" another said as they both removed their skeleton masks.

"We're not spies!" Phoebus tried to explain.

"Can't you listen—" Quasimodo tried.

"Please, don't!" Juliet cried. All three of them were cut off as handkerchiefs were places around their mouths to silence them. She had to give these people credit. They certainly did not want this place found!

"Don't interrupt me!" the man said. "You're very clever to have found our hideaway. Unfortunately, you won't live to tell the tale!"

Juliet rolled her eyes. She escaped the wrath of Frollo for this? A singing, dancing man in wild colors who was about to be killed himself?

_Maybe you've heard of a terrible place_

_Where the scoundrels of Paris collect in a lair_

_Maybe you've heard of that mythical place_

_Called the Court of Miracles_

_Hello, you're there!_

He was going to sing while he killed them? Juliet was pretty sure that she would prefer Frollo any day. At least he'd make it less painful than this. The gypsies that the three were trying to save hoisted them all up on their shoulders and carried them down the catacombs while the man kept singing and acting crazy. The gypsies her parents met were never like this. Oh, she wished Esmeralda were here. She'd put a stop to this!

"Gather 'round, everybody!" the man shouted to the people in the Court. It looked like a small village. What a clever place to hide! She didn't have much time to think about it because she was being led up a platform with three nooses as the man continued to have fun with this. "There's good "noose" tonight!" Oh, what a horrible pun… "It's a triple-header, some of Frollo's spies!" The crowd booed at them. She didn't blame them. After all, all of them hated Frollo and anyone who worked for him and would delight in seeing three less people looking for them.

"And not just any spies!" the man continued. "His captain of the guard, his loyal bell-ringing henchman…" He acted out Quasimodo's walk and face when he described him and Juliet wanted to throw him across the room for that. "…and, his girlfriend!" Oh, boy! She was about ready to throw up at that one! She would rather be on the rack across hot coals while having needles shoved into her eyes and fire poured onto her bare skin than be Frollo's girlfriend.

_Justice is swift in the Court of Miracles_

_I am the lawyers and judge all in one!_

_We like to get the trial over with quickly _

_Because it's the sentence that really is fun!_

"Any last words?" he asked them. Phoebus and Quasimodo mumbled something, but she couldn't make out what they said. She just shook her head furiously, trying to stop this! Where was Esmeralda?! "That's what they all say!" Death seemed like a pretty good deal after this little number he was presenting!

_We find you totally innocent_

_Which is the worst crime of all…_

He grabbed Phoebus's shoulders as Phoebus rolled his eyes. Apparently, he found this as ridiculous as Juliet did.

_So you're going to hang!_

He went to pull the lever and Juliet closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for the floor to drop and her life to be taken.

"Stop!" a voice called out. Esmeralda revealed herself in the crowd. Juliet's tensed body relaxed. Finally…

"Esmeralda!" all three of them shouted. Well, at least tried to, anyway…

She hopped up on the stage. "These three aren't spies! They're our friends!"

"Well, why didn't they say so?" the man asked, as if he didn't know the reason.

"We did say so!" they all said as Esmeralda removed the kerchiefs.

"This is the soldier who saved the miller's family," she said as she untied Phoebus. "Quasimodo helped me escape the cathedral," she added as she went to work on Quasimodo's ropes and she finally untied Juliet. "And Juliet helped me stand up against Frollo." Juliet rubbed her wrists as Phoebus addressed the crowd.

"We came to warn you! Frollo's coming! He says he knows where you're hiding, and he's attacking at dawn with a thousand men!"

"Then we must waste no time!" Esmeralda shouted. "We must leave immediately!"

All of the gypsies went around as bags were packed and tents came down as they scurried to get out before Frollo got there.

Esmeralda gave Juliet a quick hug. "You all took a terrible risk coming here." She moved over to Phoebus. "It may not exactly show, but we're grateful." She clutched onto him as Juliet and Phoebus looked over at Quasimodo, who had just finished coming off the death trap of a stage. They both noticed his depressed look and Juliet felt sorry for him. Of course, Esmeralda was not so innocent in this. Why didn't she hug him too?

"Don't thank me. Thank Quasimodo," Phoebus said. Juliet raised her eyebrows. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought. He was finally giving someone due credit. "Without his help, I would never have found my way here."

Quasimodo smiled, but then Juliet's heart sank when she heard that all too familiar voice: "Nor would I!"

Soldiers rushed in as Frollo stood at the top of a small set of stairs that marked the entrance to the Court of Miracles. Just when she thought she had escaped him! Gypsies were tied up and flung every which way while Esmeralda, Quasimodo, Phoebus, and Juliet were surrounded by spears in every direction.

"After twenty years of searching, the Court of Miracles is mine at last," Frollo said as he walked towards them and soldiers grabbed everyone's arms and held them back, minus Quasimodo.

_Someone needs to get a new hobby, _Juliet thought. Her arms started to ache, as this was the second time tonight they were forcibly held behind her.

"My dear Quasimodo, I always knew you would someday be of use to me."

"What are you talking about?" Esmeralda growled.

"Why, he led me right to you, my dear!"

"You're a liar!"

"And look what else I've caught in my net!" he said, moving on to Phoebus. "Captain Phoebus, back from the dead! Another miracle, no doubt. I shall remedy that." Phoebus got in Frollo's face as much as the soldiers allowed, but remained silent.

Then he got to Juliet. "You have been more trouble than I would have expected," he sneered in her face. "I'll never understand what you see in any of these people." He caressed her cheek and Juliet wanted to scream. "Pity you had to get thrown in the middle of all this."

Juliet could stand that horrid voice no more. "If anyone is a monster around here, it's you!"

Frollo looked at her and actually hit her on the cheek.

"No!" she heard Quasimodo and Esmeralda yell. She cried out in pain and gasped at how much it hurt. His fat rings certainly didn't help.

"There will be a little bonfire in the square tomorrow, and you're all invited to attend!" Juliet couldn't believe this! This was the third time her life was being threatened and this time, it looked like this was finally it. "Lock them up," he told the guards. They started to pull the three away while Quasimodo ran up to Frollo and clutched the bottom of his robes.

"No, please, Master," he begged. Frollo simply gave him a hard look.

Juliet broke free from the soldiers' grasps and ran up to him.

"Quasimodo, listen to me!" she pleaded, taking his hands in hers. "You cannot let him do this! You have to find a way to save us! Please!" She felt the soldiers' rough hands on her arms once more. "NO!" she screamed as she was pulled away.

Juliet paused at Frollo's voice, the soldiers having stopped their rough pulling, almost as if they wanted her to hear what Frollo had in store. "Take him back to the bell tower. And make sure he stays there."

Two guards went to Quasimodo and took his arms and pulled him without a fight.

"NO!" Juliet screamed as she was pulled away. "Quasimodo! Please!"

Her last hope of freedom…gone.


	9. Sanctuary!

Juliet wasn't even sure how she got here. First, she was helping her parents serve a couple of traveling gypsies before she went to her room, and now she and her new best friend were tied to a pyre in white robes about to be burned alive.

A man threw several bushels of straw below both of their feet as they were up on the stage that had been where Quasimodo had been tortured on the wheel. It seemed the torture would never end on the stage.

"The gypsy Esmeralda and the citizen Juliet have been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft!" Frollo announced to the incredibly large crowd that had gathered to see the execution. "The sentence: DEATH!"

The crowd went crazy, knowing this was a huge injustice. The drums played another drum roll as he finished speaking. Frollo took the torch from the executioner and got up close and personal to Esmeralda. "The time has come, gypsy. You stand upon the brink of the abyss. Yet even now, it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world and the next. Choose me, or the fire."

What a sick and twisted man! Esmeralda spat in his face. Juliet had to give it to her. That girl had guts!

Frollo wiped the saliva off his face and looked at Juliet. "Well, the same offer goes for you, my dear. You don't have to suffer the same fate as this witch."

Well, this was almost insulting! Frollo was lusting after her and she was simply his second choice. She didn't know which was worse! "Never," she whispered harshly.

Frollo turned to address the crowd. "The gypsy Esmeralda and the citizen Juliet have refused to recant. These evil witches have put the soul of every citizen of Paris in awful jeopardy!"

"I'm sorry," Juliet said. "I feel like this is all my fault."

"It's not," Esmeralda said firmly. "If anything, it's my fault. I should never have escaped from the cathedral, knowing Frollo's wrath."

"You couldn't have known that he would go this far. I know you just wanted to be free."

"As long as he is alive, I will never be free. And now I've hurt you, Quasimodo, and all of my people."

"I'll never see him again," Juliet said distantly looking up at the bell tower.

Esmeralda looked at her. "You really like him, don't you?"

Juliet turned away. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"For justice, for Paris, and for her own salvation!" Frollo shouted. "It is my sacred duty to send this unholy demon back where she belongs!" The torch touched the straw below Esmeralda's pyre and the flames immediately spread.

"NO!" Juliet screamed. "No! Esmeralda! Please, stop!" Her wrists rubbed against the ropes tying her to the pyre.

"And you, my dear," Frollo said to her, "get to watch as your friend burns alive for her evil deeds. Don't worry. You will soon be joining her."

She watched in horror as Esmeralda began coughing from the smoke and Frollo smiled as he watched her burn. She began to slump over and slip into unconsciousness. Suddenly, she saw Quasimodo swinging down on a rope from the cathedral! He landed on the stage and untied Esmeralda. He looked at her and she screamed at him, "Save her! I'll be fine!"

He grabbed the free pyre and swung it at the soldiers climbing the stage. Then he grabbed the rope and swung back up to the balcony on the cathedral.

"Quasimodo!" Frollo screamed.

She smiled broadly as Quasimodo raised Esmeralda above his head and screamed, "Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"

_Frollo has lost, _she thought.

"Captain!" Frollo ordered. "Guard her and seize the cathedral!" Soldiers started going up to cathedral doors and brought ladders. "And as for you!" he said, furiously turning on her. "You're finished!" He threw the whole torch on the straw. She cried out in pain as the flames licked her bare feet. Her sweat-drenched hair started sticking to her face. She started gasping for breath as the black smoke encircled her and filled her lungs. She felt like her chest was going to explode as her breath was stolen from her by the smoke. She leaned against the pyre as the world started to turn dark.

She saw Phoebus, who had somehow escaped, fight the three soldiers guarding her. Then she felt the ropes slide off her wrists as she landed in someone's arms.

"Quasimodo?" she asked the blurred figure.

"Hang on!"

The last thing she remembered was feeling like she was flying through the air.


	10. Bells of Notre Dame

Juliet's eyes sprung open and she inhaled sharply as air flew back into her lungs. She started letting out some harsh coughs in between deep gasps.

"Juliet! Here!" She felt a spoon filled with water on touch her lips. She let the cool liquid rush down her sore throat and began to relax and breathe normally.

"You did it," she said softly, touching his face. She quickly sat up. "Where's Esmeralda?"

He opened the door to where Esmeralda lay unconscious. She ran to her and touched her silent, frozen face. They both turned as commotion was heard from the soldiers trying to break in to the cathedral.

"Go!" she told Quasimodo. "I'll watch over her!" He ran out of the room and she could hear shouts from the soldiers and the sound of wood breaking and metal against metal. She kneeled down next to Esmeralda and touched her hand and gently squeezed it. Something wasn't right… She slowly put her hand above her nose and mouth but could not feel any air. She stood up as her mouth dropped open and a tear slipped down her cheek. Frollo had succeeded after all.

The door banged open as Quasimodo shouted, "We've done it, Esmeralda! We've beaten them back! Come and see!" When he got no response, he turned back around. "Esmeralda?"

Juliet looked at him and shook her head as more tears spilled down her face.

"Esmeralda? Wake up. You're safe now."

_He's denying it, _she thought.

"Esmeralda? Oh, no," he said quietly, finally realizing the situation. He took a spoonful of water and brought it to her.

"Quasimodo," Juliet said quietly. He put the water to her lips, but it just spilled past her mouth.

He dropped the spoon to the floor. "Oh, no!" He took her hand in his and began to weep. He held her in his arms and sobbed over her body. Juliet started sobbing right along with him as she leaned her forehead on the wall and rested her fists on it. Her best friend was now dead.

She heard the door open and saw Frollo, but didn't turn around. She was too upset to even care that the man she hated was right in front of her, probably ready to kill her. But he didn't come over to her. He went straight to Quasimodo.

"You killed her!" Quasimodo said through his tears.

"It was my duty. Horrible as it was. I hope you can forgive me." Juliet wanted to strangle him, but she couldn't make herself move. It seemed like the grief was tied to her feet and shoulders, making her whole body heavy. "There, there, Quasimodo. I know it hurts." Juliet knit her eyebrows, confused by his words, and slowly began to turn. "But now, the time has come to end your suffering forever."

Juliet saw the dagger raised high about to strike. "Quasimodo, watch out!" she screamed.

He turned around and held the dagger away from his face. It looked like Frollo was going to succeed again, but a change came over Quasimodo and he threw Frollo against the wall and took the dagger from him.

"Now, now, listen to me, Quasimodo," he pleaded. Ah, so he was only powerful when he had the upper hand. Well, now that the tables have turned, he was begging for HIS life!

"No, you listen!" Quasimodo screamed as he threw the dagger away. Juliet was shocked. She had only heard him raise his voice once, and he always seemed so timid and shy around Frollo. This was a new experience for everyone! "All my life you have told me the world is a dark, cruel place. But now, I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!"

Juliet ran up to him and touched his shoulders again. "No! Don't be like him!"

"Quasimodo?"

All three of them turned at the sound of Esmeralda's weak voice.

"Esmeralda!" Juliet and Quasimodo said.

"They both live?!" Juliet saw Frollo start to get up and grab something, so she grabbed the dagger and aimed it at him. "Don't even think about it!" She glanced at the couple for a second, then turned back to Frollo's scared face. She continued to aim the dagger at him and she felt great knowing that this time, Frollo was scared of her. She stole another glance back to Quasimodo and Esmeralda and smiled as they shared a tight embrace. Suddenly, Juliet felt the dagger fly out of hand as her wrist was hit hard. Then she felt her arms thrust behind her and a sword pushed on her neck. Her arms felt like they were going to be ripped out of their sockets from being forced behind her four times in two nights.

"My dear Quasimodo," Frollo said. "You can't save everyone as much as you try." He started to pull her out the door to do who-knows-what.

"No!" Quasimodo yelled. He grabbed the sword and flung it away as Juliet was released from his grip. She felt her legs go weak and Quasimodo caught her in his strong arms.

"Quasimodo," she whispered.

He took her and ran out of the room and actually jumped over the balcony.

"No, he's going to get Esmeralda!" she said quietly.

"Shh…"

"We have to go back!"

Then she saw Frollo peer over the edge. "Leaving so soon?" he laughed. He swung the retrieved sword at them, but Quasimodo managed to avoid it.

"Hang on!" he shouted at her. She clung to his neck as he hopped from stone to stone, dodging all of Frollo's blows. He landed on a gargoyle and pushed Juliet up over the balcony. Frollo took another swing, but Juliet fell on the ground just in time. She winced from the pain in her side when she hit the hard floor. Quasimodo stood up on the gargoyle.

"I should have known you'd risk your life to save those witches. Just as your own mother died trying to save you."

Juliet's mouth popped open. All this time, Quasimodo thought his mother never loved him, but now he learned that she had actually tried to save him…from Frollo?

"What?" Quasimodo asked in disbelief.

"Now I'm going to do what I should have done…twenty years ago!" Frollo flung his cape over Quasimodo's head and he struggled for a little while before falling from the gargoyle.

"NO!" Juliet screamed weakly. Quasimodo held onto Frollo's robe and he toppled over the edge as well. Quasimodo clutched dearly onto the balcony and the cape Frollo was now hanging from. Esmeralda appeared from the room and ran over to Quasimodo and tried to hang onto his hand to keep him from falling. Juliet tried to get up, but her brain was swimming and she couldn't even see straight.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Esmeralda gasped.

Juliet heard Frollo laughing wickedly and saw him stand up on top of one of the stone gargoyle heads, sword raised. "And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!" he laughed. Juliet saw him fall onto the gargoyle and managed to get up and run over to the balcony. He looked at the gargoyle's face and screamed as if it was attacking him. The gargoyle broke off and took Frollo with it. Juliet turned away as he hit the ground.

"Quasimodo! Quasi!" Esmeralda screamed. Juliet ran over to her just in time to see him fall from her grip. "NO!"

"QUASIMODO!" Juliet screamed at the same time. Then they saw that someone had caught him and he was no longer falling!

"Come on!" Esmeralda cried, running down to the stairs. The two ran into the room and saw Quasimodo hugging Phoebus and they smiled. They ran up to him and hugged him tightly, silently thanking him for saving their lives once again. Quasimodo took Esmeralda's hand and put it in Phoebus's. Juliet smiled as he finally accepted them as a couple. The couple looked at each other and shared a passionate kiss.

Phoebus led Esmeralda outside to a cheering crowd. Esmeralda went back in and reached for Quasimodo's hand. He gingerly took it and Juliet helped him out the door. He covered his face at the bright sun that stung his eyes. Juliet tenderly touched his back and took his hand. The crowd fell silent at the sight of him. Then a little girl emerged. She paused at the bottom of the steps, so Juliet extended her hand to her. The girl took it and went up to Quasimodo. She lightly touched his face, and though Quasimodo was surprised at first and jumped at her touch, they were soon hugging. The little girl took his hand and led him down the steps.

Juliet laughed, so happy that they were now accepting him into the city!

"Three cheers for Quasimodo!" She looked up and saw the colorful man cheering from a pole. Quasimodo got to the bottom of the steps and he swept Juliet up into his arms. She giggled and pressed her lips against his. She felt him tense up at first, but then he relaxed and kissed her back. She pulled away and hugged him tightly.

_So here is a riddle to guess if you can_

_Sing the bells of Notre Dame_

_What makes a monster and what makes a man?_

The crowd hoisted Quasimodo and Juliet up on their shoulders as the couple continued to hold hands even in the air. She looked at the colorful man who was singing a beautiful song that was much better than the one she had heard before.

Quasimodo looked at Juliet and she looked back at him. Their eyes were full of love for one another. She knew that he finally saw himself the way she did.

_Whatever their pitch_

_You can hear them bewitch you_

_The rich and the ritual knells_

_Of the bells of Notre Dame!_


End file.
